Female IDF officers foil Jordan Valley weapons smuggling attempt

Last weekend, Maj. N., deputy commander of the Baka Brigade battalion, and Capt. L., commander of Company A, led an operation that stopped the smuggling of nearly 30 weapons and other munitions into Israel. The incident took place in the southern Jordan Valley, an area the battalion has operated in since 2017 and which borders Jordan, Palestinian villages, settlements and farms.

The operation began after troops spotted suspicious tracks near the border. N. ordered overnight ambushes, and by morning the forces entered the military-controlled enclave between Israel and Jordan to search for more evidence. They worked with additional units, including trackers and the Meraul unit, and as the investigation of the tracks continued, L. identified the final footprint that led to the suspect’s arrest.

The suspect did not resist, but a field interrogation led the troops to suspicious sacks in the area. Those bags were later found to contain 23 Glock pistols, three Kalashnikov rifles, one M16 rifle and additional weapons. L. called the seizure “a significant event” and said the unit felt it had saved civilian lives because the weapons could have been turned against Israeli civilians.

Both officers stressed the difficulty of routine service in the Jordan Valley, including the heat and the grind of daily operations, and thanked the soldiers and partner units involved. N. also noted the wider debate over women in combat roles, saying that in mixed units it does not matter whether a fighter has a braid or short hair, and that the important point is that strong units protected the country. She told women considering combat service that stopping that many weapons, or a terrorist planning an attack, gives “immense satisfaction.”